The Ai
r Force is purchasing two types of removable mobile command workspaces for use by military and senior civilian leaders traveling aboard mobility aircraft. “Having these pallets on airlift and refueling aircraft provides an ‘office in the air’ and will allow senior leaders and dignitaries to perform their duties while traveling,” said Maj. Gen. Robert McMahon, director of maintenance on the Air Staff. The first model is the senior leaders in-transit conference capsule, an enclosed pod with work and rest areas that can be equipped with secure communications. It fits inside the C-130, C-17s and KC-10. The first SLICC is expected to be completed before the end of the year for a cost of $2.7 million; two additional units are planned with an expected unit cost of approximately $1.9 million. The second module is the senior leaders in-transit pallet that features a lighted conference table with reclining chairs. It can be carried in the C-17, KC-10, and KC-135. The first SLIP is already in use; there are plans to purchase three more units. Each SLIP costs $290,000, according to McMahon. (SAF/PA report by SSgt. J.G. Buzanowski)
The Air Force and Boeing agreed to a nearly $2.4 billion contract for a new lot of KC-46 aerial tankers on Nov. 21. The deal, announced by the Pentagon, is for 15 new aircraft in Lot 11 at a cost of $2.389 billion—some $159 million per tail.